Impulsiveness is a Curse
by Pickles the Great
Summary: However, his stupid impulsiveness and rash actions had put her in danger once again. Young!RizaRoy, Royai if you squint


This is a plot bunny I dusted off. I liked it so I thought I'd burden you all with it.

Don't you love me?

Thanks to MSD for the beta (I have sucked up my pride!)

**&&&**

Riza sighed and adjusted the paper bags in her arms. The entire way home, the boys were teasing her. Didn't those idiots have anything better to do? She wrapped the long strands of her golden hair around her fingers self-consciously. Stupid boys…

So what if she liked to climb trees? It was her father's fault she was forced to wear skirts every day. Then there was the matter concerning her hair. She'd had to keep it long her whole life, even though she wanted nothing more than to hack it all off. It was cumbersome and always caught on things. However, it was the only way she could dress normally and not expose the ink on her skin. She disliked her hair, but she disliked the tattoo even more. It was just one more thing that tied her down to this place, to her father. She sighed again.

Balancing the groceries on one arm, she opened the rough wooden door that led straight into the kitchen. She emptied her burdens on the table and stretched her arms. Why did everyone in this house have to eat so much?

In the process of straightening her blouse, she caught a sight out of the corner of her eye. It was a small black something, dashing around the corner as if it didn't want to be seen. Riza rolled her eyes. "I see you there Mr. Mustang. You can come out now."

A head popped from the doorframe, wearing a lopsided grin and sighing in defeat. "Okay, you got me." Roy Mustang straightened up and strolled happily into the kitchen, holding both hands behind his back. "So did you get dinner? I'm starving."

She tilted her head, her hair falling gracefully in waves to her right, and leaned to the side to try to get a view of what Roy was concealing behind his back. "What do you have there, Mr. Mustang?" She asked curiously. He moved, blocking Riza's view.

"Nothing you'd be interested in," he said, quickly.

She drew herself to full height and crossed her arms. "Mr. Mustang, You have got to be one of the most stubborn people on the planet. Now let me see." When he showed no signs of responding, she put her hands on her hips and huffed. "Idiot. It's something with alchemy, huh?" Roy shuffled his feet.

"Maaaybe…" He answered maddeningly. She exhaled quickly, disturbing a few stray hairs.

"Well it's stupid that you won't let me see then. Seeing as my father is the only resident alchemist for miles, and I've grown up around this sort of thing all my life. I could probably help you."

"Who says I need help?" Roy asked, defensively.

"You_ always_ need help Mr. Mustang." She retorted. "Let me see."

He muttered angrily and pulled his arms forward. What he was holding was a large rolled up piece of parchment faded and torn with time, its edges rough and yellowed. She examined it curiously before looking up at him. "What is it?" She asked.

Roy grinned and his eyes sparkled as if he had just been snapped awake. He unfurled the paper and set to flattening it on the ground. "I've been reading a bunch of Master's old notes, they're hard to read, his handwriting's terrible," Riza giggled and Roy smiled in triumph at making her laugh. "And I keep coming across this one thing, it's called Flame Alchemy." Riza uttered a small gasp, not loud enough to avert Roy's attention away from his paper. "He keeps saying something about a 'keeper' and an array or something, it's nothing to descriptive but I found something interesting…"

Riza stared at him apprehensively. Of course, her father wouldn't document where the secrets were kept, if Roy could find them than it would be easy for anyone to. When he unrolled the parchment, a roughly drawn array was sketched out in red ink covering the entire sheet. It was difficult but she could still recognize it as a primitive version of the arrangement embedded on her skin. Roy obviously thought this was the true description of Flame Alchemy, but he was sorely mistaken. The true array was much, much closer. "M-Mr. Mustang, I don't know if…"

"Riza,_ look_." He beamed. "This is supposed to be the strongest kind of alchemy Master has ever developed. Think of it… It's amazing…"

Riza looked at him; his eyes were alight with excitement, like a child that was just told he was allowed all the candy in the store. He flattened it down, holding both corners. He brought his hands slowly to the center, memorizing it and silently mouthing the description. He was so absorbed he didn't notice what Riza did, the sparks and rings developing from around the corners of the paper, the ink slowly glowing brighter and brighter… Her amber eyes widened frantically. _He was activating the array._

"_Mister Mustang, move!"_ She screamed. He tore his eyes away from the paper just in time to face her when she shoved him out of the way. Just in time to watch the ink in the parchment blur rapidly and burst into flames. Just in time to watch the string of fire catch Riza in its burning grasp. Just in time to hear her scream out in pain, to watch her legs crumple and her hair recede quickly backwards, to watch her fall to the ground and convulse with silent screams.

"_**RIZA!"**_He shouted madly, pulling himself to his knees and scrambling over to her. "RIZA!" He shook her, trying to coax a response, she only lie still. "Riza! Wake up, Riza!" Her feet and legs were scarred; the back of her skirt was nonexistent. Her gorgeous long hair was now reduced to barely an inch and that inch clung to her neck in cold sweat, revealing her back, decorated with a strangely shaped red mark… was it a burn? Roy couldn't process any of this information, all that mattered was that she needed to move, she needed to get up!

"What's going on in here?" Master Hawkeye stormed into the kitchen shaking floorboards in his wake, looking livid. "Roy, what are you- Riza!" He bellowed, rushing over to his injured daughter. He shoved Roy aside with more force than was necessary, knocking him into the legs of the table and causing him to grunt in pain. The crown of Roy's head collided with the base of the table, distorting his vision and blurring all his senses. Through the vague shapes he could make out Hawkeye bending over Riza, moving around body parts as if to check something. He seemed satisfied, receded back and exhaled a breath. If Roy's vision was altered before, it was even more so out of anger. What was he thinking, what was more important than her health, her safety?

"What're you doing?" He hollered, directing Hawkeye's attention to himself, still rubbing the back of his sore head. "What's wrong with you? We need to get her to a hospital! She's injured, she needs help!"

"You don't know what you're talking about, boy!" Hawkeye snapped back. He sounded nervous; as if he was afraid that Roy had seen something he shouldn't have. Roy didn't take in any of this; he didn't care. All that mattered now was getting Riza to a doctor. "She's fine; we can give her treatment here! Just shut up!" Roy shook his head, aggravating his migraine further.

"She needs real medical attention! If you won't take her than I'll get her there myself!" He shouted with conviction. He jumped to his feet, trying to focus all his energy into not collapsing from his head injury. Hawkeye shoved a protective arm around his daughter, shielding her back from Roy's view. Roy collected all his strength and put it into his upper body, running full force towards his teacher and slamming into his neck with his shoulder. Hawkeye flew backwards through the doorway into the next room, giving Roy just enough time to collect Riza in his arms and dart towards the door and into the backyard.

**&&&**

The nearest hospital was a mile away. Roy tried to push this thought from his mind as he rushed down the road. He ignored the stares of the pedestrians, the gasps of people passing by him, the messy boy carrying a burned and beaten girl in his arms. Roy's breath was already ragged and it had not even been a quarter of a mile since he left the house. His heart was hammering madly somewhere in his stomach; he could hear it in his ears. In fact, everything seemed magnified. His feet pounding against the road, the colors that now seemed blurred due to the combination of his headache and the speed, and the pain in his legs as he urged them to go faster. The adrenaline pumping through his veins pounded in his head and arms and shoulders that were sore from carrying Riza's limp form… How much longer to the hospital?

It felt as if a thousand needles were being pushed repeatedly in and out of every pore in his body, with every step and every breath the needles were pushed deeper and deeper until they tore through his very muscles. His arms were now numb; his thoughts were now centered on not dropping Riza. He closed his arms tighter around her legs and shoulders, it tightened the needles but his pain wasn't important right now. It was his fault she was so badly hurt, his stupid impulsiveness and rash actions had put her in danger. She had pushed him out of the way. If anything happened to her it would be his fault, he would be responsible. He banished those thoughts from his mind. Riza would be fine; he would make sure of it. He wouldn't stop running until he reached any place that could give her treatment that could stop her pain, that could ease the guilt burning like fire in his stomach.

He passed a roughly hewn wooden statue in his haste. He had seen that statue before. He began thinking, and even though it hurt his injured head, any small thing that could take his mind off the searing pain was good in his eyes. That statue… the man holding a sphere three times his size… that wooden figure, carrying the weight of the world… It was the statue that marked the center of town. In the center of town, there was an assortment of shops, carts pushed by old merchants, and a hospital…

A hospital.

The gasps and indignant shrieks of passerby were magnified now, but Roy cared even less, he focused all his energy into trying to remember where the hospital was. He had never been before and couldn't remember being told where it was, just that it was there. He spun rapidly, trying to find someone, anyone who could help. The loud echoing ring that reverberated across the surrounding buildings did not help his concentration any. What on earth was that noise?

Wait, Roy had heard that in the city. He racked his brains for an answer, and finally found one. It was a vehicle… an ambulance! Those led to the hospitals, didn't they? He turned on his heel to locate the source of the noise, a large moving white vehicle charging through the square towards the market. Roy trailed behind it madly, blocking out everything else but not losing track of the ambulance.

**&&&**

"Young man, you should really lie down."

"Not until Riza wakes up."

"You're not much better than she is! We need to check for concussions, and running that distance after a substantial injury is-"

"I'll get checked out after I make sure she's okay!"

Riza blinked a few times and scrunched up her eyes. One of the voices she heard was Roy… the other one she did not recognize. She tried to open her eyes but shut them immediately after a blinding light seeped through. She groaned; everything from her shoulders down hurt like hell. The last thing she could remember was Roy accidentally activating the array… then everything turned red and then black. She tried to lift herself up but a searing pain shot through her spine and she fell back down.

"Riza!" Roy shouted from next to her. She could hear the shuffling of chairs and then she felt a hand on her face. "Are you alright?" He sounded concerned. More than that, he sounded terrified. She opened her eyes a crack and nodded. "I'm fine. Just really tired… and my back hurts a lot." He let out a huge breath. "Thank God… Riza… Riza I can't even begin to say how sorry I am. I know you-"

At that point, the door was slammed open and the three inhabitants of the room jumped. In the doorway, panting with an open cut on his forehead, was Master Hawkeye, glaring daggers at Roy.

"WHAT," He began madly, "DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING? WHAT DO YOU THINK GIVES YOU THE RIGHT TO _KIDNAP MY DAUGHTER_,"

"Hawkeye," The doctor began calmly, "You should be thanking him. He ran all the way here to make sure Riza was alright." He nodded. Hawkeye looked back and forth between the doctor and the children, Roy looming over Riza's hospital bed protectively. He composed himself.

"Dr. Lupa, I would like to speak with you privately, if you will?" He nodded. The two adults left the room, leaving the teenagers to themselves. As soon as the door shut, Roy turned to Riza with a pitiful look in his dark charcoal eyes.

"I'm… Riza, I… this is all my fault Riza, I'm so sorry." He said breathlessly. She shook her head and reached for her hair but only met the sleeve of her hospital dress. She looked down and blinked a few times but couldn't remember anything. She looked up at Roy with a questioning look in her eyes. "Did something happen to my hair?" She asked in a strange voice. Roy looked down at his feet and closed his eyes. "It got burned in the fire. I'm sorry, Riza. I know it probably took a long time to grow it all out like that…"

"Thank God." She said simply. Roy turned to look at her. "I've always hated it. Father was the one who liked it long. To be honest, I say good riddance." Roy still had an odd mixture of shock and concern on his face. She waved her hand. "These are nothing serious. I'll be fine; don't worry. But thank you."

Roy looked confused. Why would she be thanking him, it was his fault she was there in the first place! Riza shook her head, reading his thoughts. "It wasn't your fault Roy. Besides, you ran all the way here to save me, didn't you? No one's ever done something like that for me before." She smiled. "Thank you."

**&&&**

"So you saw it, didn't you?" Hawkeye said immediately after shutting the door. Lupa nodded. "I saw. It's quite intricate. Must've taken a while to make." Hawkeye eyed him sternly, but the doctor just shook his head. "I've known you for years, Bill," William blinked at such a casual use of his first name, "You really think I'd go around announcing it?" He grinned. "Catharine would yell at me." William smiled and looked at the ground. He knew Alexander had been close friends with his late wife. He definitely wouldn't do anything that would put her child in danger. He collected himself and looked up at him. "Did Roy see?"

Lupa nodded. "He saw, but he thought it was just a strange burn mark. He didn't recognize it." William nodded.

"And… and Riza? Will she be alright?" The doctor nodded. "She has plenty of burns, that's for sure, but nothing too damaging. A week or two in bed and she'll be good as new." Hawkeye nodded. He was relieved but did not show it. "I'd still like to know how this happened." He pushed open the door to Riza's room, causing both Riza and Roy to look up at him. Roy felt a sinking feeling in the bottom of his stomach; he knew for sure what was coming next.

"How did this happen?" Hawkeye asked simply. It wasn't so much a question as a demand. Roy stared at him but did not speak. He could only think of what Master would do after he found out what really happen. He would be thrown out of his house, or worse, killed. He wouldn't put it past him.

"Kitchen accident," Riza said flatly. Roy turned to look at her in shock. Riza, Riza Hawkeye, was lying to her father. The world had gone mad.

"I was getting ready to start dinner so I turned on the stove." She said, never blinking. "But I turned around and tripped. I fell back and hit the fire. Mr. Mustang heard the noise and came in. I'm sorry. It was my fault. I was careless." Her father analyzed her for a moment. Roy just gaped at her. She was covering for him. He had put her in danger, burned half her kitchen, and she was protecting him. He didn't deserve it, he only felt guiltier that she was putting herself in danger for him.As he turned to Hawkeye to tell him the truth, he saw his Master nod.

"That's quite alright, Riza. We all make mistakes; the point is that there is no lasting damage. You should be fine with a few weeks of bed rest." Riza nodded, but saw the way her father was looking disapprovingly at her hair. She looked guilty for the first time since he came.

"You look like a boy." He said with a hint of disappointment in his voice. She nodded. "But it's much more practical this way, isn't it?" She asked with a bit of pleading. Hawkeye tried to conceal a smile. It pleased him to know that his daughter had inherited most of her mother's best qualities.

**&&&**

Lieutenant Hawkeye sighed as she adjusted the stack of papers in her arms. Of course the Fuhrer was in desperate need of every sheet of paper the world has ever known, and of course, she had to be the one to get it during her busiest day, even though there were plenty of officers around the base who were doing absolutely nothing. Why did everyone always have to pick on her?

She was so absorbed in her thoughts she didn't notice Armstrong strolling down the hallway haughtily. He turned to look at herand nearly burst into tears in joy.

"Lieutenant Hawkeye, how I have longed to see you! We haven't had a chance to speak at all since you were transferred under the Fuhrers command. Congratulations on the promotion, I must say."

Riza nodded and rearranged the papers. "Yes, thank you major, and how have you been?" Armstrong nodded vigorously. "Good good, I've been absolutely wonderful! Oh my, Lieutenant, how did you get those nasty cuts?" Riza cursed, her sleeves had ridden up and given the major a view of the scratches and bruises on her arms and hands, not to mention the ones on her cheek. She shook it off.

"Kitchen accident," She replied. "Buraha scared me and I dropped a knife. It's nothing serious." She put on a large fake smile. Armstrong nodded and gripped her shoulders. "Well I hope you recover soon, Lieutenant. Good day!" He waved happily and strode off in the opposite direction. Riza shook her head. The major was truly and veritably insane. At least he hadn't noticed…

**&&&**

Armstrong closed the door behind him and stepped into the darkened office.

"How is she?" questioned a deep voice from the other side of the room. Armstrong nodded. "She has more cuts now. She seemed slightly nervous, but other than that she was fine."

The silhouette nodded and folded its hands. "Hmm… Yes, I see. Thank you, Major Armstrong, you're dismissed." Alex nodded again and turned to leave. While he still had his handle on the doorknob, he paused. "Next time you should do this yourself, Colonel," he said. He turned the handle and closed the door behind him, leaving the room dark again

Mustang put his hands to his forehead and sighed. "Perhaps you're right, Major…" He said to the shadows. However, his stupid impulsiveness and rash actions had put her in danger once again, and he did not want to make the same mistake a third time.

**&&&**

I apologize.

Review anyway.


End file.
